China-U.S. Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade meets in Chicago

CHICAGO, Dec. 18 -- Chinese and American government officials on Thursday met for annual trade talks in Chicago, a city in the U.S. state of Illinois, in hope of boosting future cooperation potential.

Visiting Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang co-chaired Thursday's 25th Plenary Session of China-U.S. Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) with U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and U. S. Trade Representative Michael Froman.

In his opening remarks, Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang highlighted the importance of the 25th session of the JCCT, saying it will lay a solid foundation for the economic cooperation between China and the U.S. in the next year and a period of time to come.

Wang called for a full play of the JCCT's role as an " extinguisher" and a "driver" in the economic ties between the two nations and urged both sides to work to find and remove obstacles hindering cooperation, explore solutions and dig into potential for further cooperation.

"Problems solving will always be on the way," said the Chinese vice premier.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker echoed Vice Premier Wang 's remarks by saying it's up to the U.S. and China to tear down obstacles to do more business together, intended to produce mutual benefits and tangible results for both the countries, as the United States and China are now the two largest economies in the world and the change in China will provide business opportunities for companies across the world.

Pritzker also urged both sides to use the JCCT platform to push for meaningful progress in cooperative bilateral relationship.

It's the first time for the U.S. to host China-U.S. JCCT in a city other than Washington D.C., the U.S. capital, which, in Commerce Secretary Pritzker's words, is part of the effort on the American side to reimagine and reinvigorate the JCCT. The 25th session of the JCCT focuses on such topics as intellectual property rights, agriculture, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, information technology, and travel and tourism.

Established in 1983, the annual session of the JCCT is now a platform for China and the U.S. to address bilateral trade and investment issues and promote trade opportunities.

The 24th session of China-U.S. JCCT was held in Beijing, China, in December 2013.